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VI Session 3, Corrupted Ground
The party find themselves in a tight spot. The ravaging effects of mummy rot have crippled Hauri , who can now do little more than stumble and cough up sour smelling dust. Kimchiwei mercifully offers to guide him to the next world, but is wholly rejected by the rest of the group. They carefully leave the monastery, escorted by Yan , still disguised as a city guard. Dawn is still hours away while the rest of the party struggle to think of a way to cure Hauri. The market district is still closed for the night, preventing them from easily asking an alchemist for assistance before morning. They are forced to improvise and go to the only temple that is active at this time of night. The Carcerem of the Heir of Eo is primarily active after midnight and before dawn. This temple is a massive dark stone brick building. The sharp edges and unusual shape contrast with the elegant and curved wooden structures around it. A great set of iron doors set with red stained glass windows wash the streets below with an eerie ruby glow. Inside the temple entrance are many more people than expected, korobokuru mostly, although several priests tend to alters and candles. The party approach a group of three priests clad in grey robes and draped in heavy black iron chains. They welcome the party with a blessing from the Heir of Eo. They offer to cure Hauri, knowing that such an infection may spread rapidly within the city. In exchange for their assistance, Hauri promisses to cook a great feast for the temple in honour of their deity. Now free of the dreaded disease, the party return to the Monastery. They debate sneaking in again, weighing the option of recruiting the resident monks and offering their assistance. Kimchiwei is strongly against the idea, harboring no respect for the dwindling order. Once again they find themselves in the third basement of the monastery. Dusty, scattered bones, torn tapestries, and broken pottery are all they find until they continue to investigate a suspicious wall guided by Jin and Inkas maps and convinced that a secret door lies across from the stairs. Behind a tapestry, carved into the stone wall, Jin finds a strange image. A mouth encircled by eyes . The grotesque figure disturbs the little dokkaebi and the rest of the party, but makes Inkha's blood run icy cold. She recognizes it as the symbol of the Emperor in Pieces, the ruler of the Vashar. She looks down at her map, at a small note scribbled near the third floor. "Blood of our blood, our emperor will guide you." Against her better judgement, Inkha reaches out her hand and touches the staring eyes. A maddening cacophony of gurgling whispers fills the room as the outline of a door begins to glow with a strange violet light. A staircase down is exposed as the wall slides aside. A rush of warm, humid air gusts up, followed by the heavy smell of sewage and sea water. Inkha knows that such a place would not deter the Vashar and heads down. Taking there first steps, they stop short as a wave of giant chittering cockoraches, flow up the stairs and around the knees of the group, finally making there way up and out of the monastery. Jin takes some initiative and skewers several with his jian as they move past. They travel down a narrow hallway, the walls caked in a a wet spongy material muffle the sound of rushing water from somewhere up ahead. A chiseled passageway, seemingly several centuries old veers off through the right wall. The hallway itself ends with a massive round bronze plate, something like a door, but with no obvious way to open it. The bronze plate bears the image of a great dragon ringed in lightning. Possibly the entrance to where the Treasure of Yongmunguwan is being held. Unable to open the bronze door, they party investigate the chiseled passage. Yan expresses his discomfort at the idea of going any further and insists that he stay behind. The party seem genuinely surprised that he was still there. As the party debate what to do with Yan the thief, they are surprised to find themselves emerging into a disturbing room. Empty crates and broken barrels are the least of this rooms features. Hanging from thin chains in the ceiling and trapped in small cages are various animals, few of them dead, but all of them worse for it. Blisters, pox and tumors pulse on the skin of rabbits, and small monkeys. The party have little time to react to this grotesque display as a door on the far side of the cave swings open. A bizarre, pale man clothed in thick rags shuffles in and points menacingly at the party. He whispers in a dark foreign language "They are the ones who free'd your dinner." What he was whispering at is instantly apparent as a two meter long giant centipede rushes the startled adventerers. The battle with the centipede is treacherous, as the pale man moves to flank and stabs Inkha with a improvised dagger. To her surprise, he let's the weapon go while it is in her thigh and her vision begins to blur, she notices it is not a forged weapon, but a severed scorpion stinger which continues to pump venom into her wound. As the centipede falls, and Inkha tears the stinger from her flesh, the pale man, slips through the group, and back through the door, barring it from the other side. The party, briefly contemplate letting the strange man escape until they hear the scream of a child. Hauri bursts through the wooden door with minimal effort to find that the pale man isn't alone, he's only one of three. The other two dressed as a guard and a merchant.The scream of a child comes from one of several wicker cages... EXP and Journal Category:Campaign VI Session